intuniv14 months ago

hi, my son had tried 4 different medications…each one has its own nasty side effects ranging from anger to not eating to jitteriness to tears and everything in between. I have guilt also about him being on medication but also not being on medication but have taken him off everything now. The one med that Worked he literally refused to eat….if you have a medication that works and yr son is better on you are doing great 👍 no mummy guilt needed if ur son is feeling better 😀😀.

Brightside994 months ago

After our son was diagnosed, it took us over two years to start meds because we wanted to try all other options. After we started receiving weekly calls from the school regarding his behavior, we finally gave in. It was life changing. We went with the smallest dose and he only gets meds on school days. When our kiddo told us that he’s able to focus better at school we knew we made the right decision. You are making the right choice for your circumstances, do not feel guilty!

123adhd in reply to Brightside994 months ago

thanks so much, I’m glad to hear your child is able to focus on the meds. Take care

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DarlaRose4 months ago

It sounds like you are doing exactly what you need to do to help your son. As he matures, there is a chance his medication needs will change as well. My son's doctor gave me helpful advice- she said loss of self esteem is what can contribute to so many other problems later in life, so whatever methods can help protect their self esteem as a young child, you are helping to protect them in the long run. You're doing the right thing!

123adhd in reply to DarlaRose4 months ago

what a brilliant comment from your doctor. I never thought of it like that, that’s exactly what I need. I just came home from watching my sons first nativity and he was able to sing and join in for the first time. Usually he is having a meltdown in the calm space at school as he cannot cope with the pressure. I say watch his nativity, I could barely see a thing because the big tears that were balling out of my eyes - so unbelievably proud of how far he’s come.

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Nats20054 months ago

We never had any guilt about putting our son on meds. In our case that's probably a function of two things. First, my spouse is on meds for anxiety and depression and I took anxiety meds over a short term quite some time ago when I was in a stressful work situation. So we both already understood how they help. Also, our social circle, both close friends and extended circle of acquaintances, includes multiple families with neurodivergent kids (and neurodivergent adults) who have used meds to help. So there's sympathy and understanding for the challenges of supporting kids like ours.

123adhd in reply to Nats20054 months ago

that’s a really good insight, thank you so much for your honesty. I’m glad to hear you’ve got a supportive network.

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Momtrying3 months ago

You are doing the right thing! Your child’s brain needs help, just like if they needed glasses or a hearing aid to function better in life you would absolutely do that for them. Don’t let the guilt creep in, you are giving them the best chance at life 😊

SunshineF3 months ago

it’s as though I wrote this post! My husband and I are in a very similar situation with our 4.5 year old son. He gets behavioral therapy at pre-K throughout the week and we recently started medication. The only thing that differs is we haven’t found the right medicine yet. He’s currently on a non stimulant, guanfacine, and we added adderall recently but we stopped because he got a sinus infection. His doctor wants his infection to clear up first and then restart the adderall trial.

We have so much guilt about starting medication so young but we know it could really help him and that’s obviously our goal. We also worry about effects on his brain and long term use etc. One thing that I found comforting was recent research shows that stimulants actually helps the brain develop or essentially catch up where growth was immature or delayed. Dr. Russel Barkley talks about this if you google it. Not sure if that’ll help give you a little more reassurance or not but hopefully it does.

We just pray we find something that works for our son soon because this trial period is hard for everyone and definitely weighing on us as parents.

Best of luck to you all. You’re a great parent! Hang in there ❤️

123adhd in reply to SunshineF3 months ago

thanks so much for your reply, I’ve never heard of that research and I will defo look into it. We live in the UK where treatment doesn’t typically start till 8-9 years old so I defo feel alone! Hopefully you find something soon that works for your little one. That period of time where my son was I medicated was definitely a trying period x

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